Esplanade Motels Gore: Revamp

INTRODUCTION

Jack and Gillian of Esplanade Motels have been with Turboweb for some time, but they felt the website needed a revamp. They had a lot more to offer in terms of accommodation after taking over ownership in 2011 and doing many upgrades and renovations to their motel. They’ve done some great stuff, like add a fully accessible unit and made some major changes, like building some new units.

CREATIVE BRIEF

Jack and Gillian wanted a new website for their motel business in Gore within six weeks and they also wanted to update the logo of their business. Because Esplanade Motels use booking software, the website had to tie in with their accommodation software Staah, this is done through a 'Bookings' page and a widget on the homepage. Esplanade Motels really wanted to better showcase their accommodation, and they wanted to keep their ‘About Gore’ page that was popular with visitors to the hotel, and to the Gore region. News and Events have been a great feature that Gillian has used a lot in the past, and so wanted to keep on the website as it’s really seen them draw more traffic and motel bookings.

WEBSITE

The Esplanade Website has a booking widget that means people can book accommodation straight from the homepage. While News and Events have been a successful feature for Gillian, as she talks about any upcoming events in Gore, and tends to get accommodation interest for those events, often booking out around event weekends. The new website showcases all the accommodation at Esplanade Motels, with each unit having a page listing its features, this is great for units such as Esplanade Motels’ accessible units. The About Gore page is not only handy for potential visitors to Gore but is also a great resource the hotel can point guests to.

LOGO

The Esplanade Motels really wanted to move to having a logo. We went with a classic, timeless design that is modern, calming a crisp. They wanted a logo that didn’t ‘scream’ but did ‘pop’. Greens and blues were the colour choice and Gillian and Jack liked similar logos with white writing on a dark background. The ‘the’ on Esplanade Motels was dropped, which is a smart move. Adding Gore New Zealand to the logo (though this may seem obvious) is something that location-based businesses often neglect to have on their logo. Having the logo in this tab like format is also something that is incredibly versatile and will easily work across a multitude of media such as a letterhead, business card and more.

TESTIMONIAL

The reasons I wanted Turboweb to revamp our website was two-fold. Firstly, it was time for a new look. Turboweb developed the first website and Paul always said it was good to get a fresh look regularly. Secondly, I wanted a direct booking widget added to our site and I knew the process would be beyond my computer skills.

I didn't have any concerns or hesitations about the process. We chatted from the start that it could take a little while to develop because I was busy and getting the answers back to Turboweb may be delayed. As there was already a website in place, it was to be an ongoing process.

We are thrilled with the end result; a new logo and a great front page, which is easy to navigate for information or for booking accommodation.